Saelran drove the tip of his sword into the boar's hide, and with a smooth, twisting motion, the beast let out its final breath.
Blood seeped from the hard stab wound, but there was no messy spray. That was exactly why Leron told him to aim for that spot.
[Attribute Tabel]
Innate Ability: [Player]
Overall Level: 2
Experience Bar: 95/100
Classes:
Basic Class: Genius Lv.1 (Warrior, Priest)
Intermediate Class: Sword Saint Lv.1
Skill Points: 0
Passive Skills: Inventory, Slash Damage Lv. (1%)
Active Skills:
Warrior – Instant Reflex, Light Consecutive Slash, Rapid Slash
Priest – Minor Healing (Tier 1)
...
Saelran glanced at the panel only he could see. He was just five experience points away from leveling up. Much faster than he expected.
All he did was kill a few wild beasts.
Well, it made sense. His level was still low. As his level rose, so would the difficulty of leveling.
"Hmph." The satisfied look on the Grandpa Maray face from earlier had completely vanished.
He thought Saelran had been listening to him, but apparently Saelran did not take him seriously at all.
Saelran pretended not to notice.
In this world, once a human reached Level 30, they stepped into the Heroic Realm, becoming a true powerhouse among mankind.
However, even with exceptional talent and relentless effort, the highest level a human could realistically reach was around Level 40, a realm known as the "Demi-God."
It was no longer a matter of talent or effort, but the limits of humanity itself.
Even the four so-called "Abnormal" humans, whose strength was practically inhuman, had only reached that far.
And for Saelran, Level 40 was only the beginning.
This also meant that when the future "Nine Gates of Helldusk" descended, there would be only few human capable of standing beside him.
When he first arrived in the capital, he had been conflicted about whether to prioritize magic or warrior classes instead of focusing on just one.
This was part of the reason.
Without companions, going pure mage or pure warrior would make him an easy target for the denizens of the Nine Gates.
"You're getting better than before."
"But I still need to remind you, monsters are not the same as ordinary beasts."
Watching Saelran's neat and efficient movements, Leron grinned and quickly hoisted up the dead boar to begin field-dressing it.
"Everything has a learning curve."
Saelran smiled lightly. He took out the porcelain jar he borrowed from Eidar and poured all the water from his waterskin into it.
He set the jar over the campfire.
It had originally been used for alchemical ingredients, but since it was not in use at the moment, Saelran repurposed it as a kettle.
"You really like drinking hot water, don't you?"
Eidar watched his familiar motions. For several days now, Saelran had been boiling the clear river water in that porcelain jar before drinking it. Eidar could not help asking.
"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan."
In truth, Saelran simply did not want to expose himself to foreign bacteria or unknown pathogens.
This was his real body, the one from Earth.
He had no idea whether his immune system could recognize or fight off pathogens native to this world.
Responding to Eidar's curious question, Saelran sat cross-legged again and smiled. "It's just a tradition from where I come from."
Eidar seemed to understand and did not ask further.
In this world, every region had its own customs and beliefs. Asking about someone's customs or religious practices was something one should avoid whenever possible.
The most widespread faith across human nations was the Six Orthodox Gods.
Humanity owed a great debt to those Outer Deities.
The story depicted in the game mostly revolved around the human domain.
Even though it seemed large, the continent itself was enormous. Humans only occupied the northwest corner.
The rest of the continent was dominated by Demi-Humans and Beastkin, where humans were either slaves or food.
Compared to humans—short-lived and limited in potential—Demi-Humans and Beastkin possessed superior lifespans and higher level caps.
Logically, humans should have been wiped out long ago, and surviving in the northwest corner should have been impossible.
And indeed, six hundred years ago, humanity was nearly extinct.
But at that moment, the first group of Outer Deities descended—the Six Orthodox Gods.
With overwhelming and unmatched power, they saved humanity and relocated them to the northwest corner of the continent.
This was why human faith revolved around the Six Orthodox Gods.
But unfortunately, out of the six, aside from the one known as the God of Death, the others all died within a hundred years.
The only surviving God of Death was killed five hundred years ago in a battle following the appearance of the Seven Lord of Deadly Sin.
Compared to the Six Orthodox Gods, the title "Seven Lord of Deadly Sin" alone was enough to show the destruction they brought.
According to the records of various races, most of the Seven Lord of Deadly Sin were Demi-Humans, and some were Beastkin. Yet, oddly enough, they had strong affinity toward humans.
This led to a strange situation where even now, despite being considered "evil gods," there were surprisingly few malicious legends about them.
"Six hundred years ago, the Six Gods descended. Five hundred years ago, the Seven Lord of Deadly Sin appeared. Two hundred years ago, The Evil and The Four Apex emerged. There are also unverifiable accounts of other Outer Deities."
Aside from the first two groups, The Evil and The Four Apex were details Saelran learned from the "Guard" adventurer team. None of this existed in the original game.
"And then there is the 'Nine Gates of Helldusk' that will descend in the future."
Several thoughts crossed Saelran's mind.
Nearly every hundred years, Outer Deities descended upon this world.
Based on that pattern, the True Dragons likely knew the another Outer Deities would soon arrive.
"Compared to the earlier arrivals that happened abruptly, this time the True Dragon King should already be prepared. But when compared to the Six Orthodox Gods, the Seven Lord of Deadly Sin, and The Four Apex, the overall power of the Nine Gates of Helldusk far surpasses all three groups."
Saelran pondered, and a thought surfaced.
"If we can get the True Dragon King to clash with the Nine Hells first, we might reap the benefits."
"Even if the True Dragon King ends up losing, it would only benefit me. It would drain the Nine Hells' resources and weaken their forces."